The Lost Melody By Joanna Davidson Politano

the Lost Melody

by Joanna Davidson Politano

Publisher: Bethany House

ISBN: 9780800736910

After finally reading my first book by Joanna Davidson Politano last year I couldn't get enough of her stories! When I found out about The Lost Melody and her launch team, I jumped at the chance. She sent me her book for review.

Summary:

When concert pianist Vivienne Mourdant's father dies, he leaves to her the care of a patient at Hurstwell Asylum. Vivienne had no idea the woman existed, and yet her portrait is shockingly familiar. When the asylum claims she was never a patient there, Vivienne is compelled to discover what happened to the figure she remembers from childhood dreams.

The longer she lingers in the deep shadows and forgotten towers at Hurstwell, the fuzzier the line between sanity and madness becomes. She hears music no one else does, receives strange missives with rose petals between the pages, and untangles far more than is safe for her to know. 

But can she uncover the truth about the mysterious woman she seeks? And is there anyone at Hurstwell she can trust with her suspicions?

Joanna Davidson Politano casts a delightful spell with this lyrical look into the nature of women's independence and artistic expression during the Victorian era--and now.

My Review:

I was transfixed by The Lost Melody. I don't know how else to explain it! This story was absolutely breathtaking! I had NO idea what to expect because I didn't know what the story was about. All I cared about was that Joanna had written a new book and I was reading it.

The story is deep and heart achingly wonderful. This is one you don't want to rush or miss a single word. At the start it took me a few chapters to absorb the setting for the story and who Vivienne is. Once we get a grasp on Vivi and the work she has planned now that her father has died, everything unravels.

The author brings to life an asylum that feels like it completely would've existed in that time. With the hindsight we have, as we get to know some of the characters we can see the labels we would give them today: autism, postpartum depression, Alzheimers, etc. And reasons people were admitted to asylums never fails to blow my mind.

How we get to know Vivienne at the start, watching her grow and learn more, not just about herself, but of God, His possible plan for her, and challenging who she thought she was is exquisite. We get to see each scale fall from her eyes one by one. While it's exciting, it had me holding my breath at the same time waiting for the next shoe to drop.

The relationships Vivienne forms while at Hurstwell really shows her that God is truly a God who sees. The author helps us, the reader, see the beauty of individuals, ne the music inside of them through their interactions.

This story is a work of art and I think should one day be considered a classic on par with Austen, Brontë, and Alcott. It's a story to be experienced and I don't want to give even a bit away!

About the Author:

Joanna Davidson Politano is the award-winning author of Lady Jayne Disappears, A Rumored Fortune, Finding Lady Enderly, The Love Note, and A Midnight Dance. She loves tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives and is eager to hear anyone's story. She lives with her husband and their children in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan. You can find her online at www.jdpstories.com.